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Benoît Hamon, a leftist radical, and Manuel Valls, a centrist former prime minister, will face each other next week after beating five other candidates in the first round of France’s Socialist party primary on Sunday.

According to partial results from more than a third of polling stations, Mr Hamon was leading with 35.21 per cent, with Mr Valls on 31.56 per cent.

Mr Hamon, 49, who is often compared to Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders, proposes to give all adults monthly welfare payments of €750 (£650) regardless of their income.

Arnaud Montebourg, who came third with more than 17 per cent of the vote, according to the partial results, urged his supporters to back Mr Hamon, which could considerably increase the candidate’s chances of victory. “We’ve got to finish with old recipes, old politics and old solutions that don’t work,” Mr Hamon said.

Opinion polls suggest that Ms Le Pen will win the first round of the presidential election this spring, but will be beaten in the decisive second round by Mr Fillon.

Front National leader Marine Le PenCredit:
Reuters

The Socialists’ traditional working-class base has largely switched allegiance to the hard-Right Front National under Ms Le Pen, who has moderated its image. Young, urban Left-wingers are moving to Emmanuel Macron, 39, an independent centrist who is also drawing support from the Right and is emerging as the third candidate in the presidential race.

The outcome of the Socialist primary will make a big difference to Mr Macron. Analysts say Mr Valls would be a more formidable rival than Mr Hamon but the former prime minister is a polarising figure whose tough line on security and business-friendly economic policies are unpopular with the Left-wing of the party.

Mr Hamon appeals to young leftists and the unemployed, but the estimated €300 billion (£260bn) cost of his monthly handouts has raised fears of higher taxes and economic disaster.

Pablo, 26, a Paris businessman, said: “Hamon was courageous to talk about the ‘universal income’ [monthly handouts]. It’s a measure that would touch millions of people’s lives and make a big difference for the young.”

Guillaume Eustache, 37, a music industry executive, said: “I chose Valls because he’s the only Socialist with a chance of winning. He’s a statesman and a pragmatist, and he’s not making unrealistic promises.”

Some of those who cast ballots in the Socialist primary said they were considering voting for Mr Macron in the presidential election.

Hadrien Labeyrie, 37, a Paris engineer, who voted for Mr Valls “because of his experience and pragmatism”, said: “I’m waiting to see whether Mr Macron goes to the Right or the Left.”

Reflecting the collapse of the mainstream Left across Europe and rise of far-Right Eurosceptic populist parties,

the first round of the Socialist primary kindled little public enthusiasm.

The low turnout of less than two million was a blow for the party. More than double that number took part in the centre-Right primary in November and it was also significantly lower than the turnout in the previous Socialist primary in 2011.

Regardless of their candidate, the Socialists are only predicted to take only about 10 per cent of the vote in the presidential election.

Mr Macron, who served as economy minister under Mr Hollande but has never been a Socialist Party member, proposes to reform France’s ailing economy, but argues that painful public sector cuts planned by Mr Fillon are unnecessary. He has deliberately avoided revealing details of his policies but promises to unveil his manifesto in the coming weeks.

Mr Macron has won over several Socialist heavyweights, including Gérard Collomb, a senator and the mayor of Lyon. “France badly needs his daring and his energy to start making progress again.”

Ségolène Royal, the mother of Mr Hollande’s four children and his environment minister, has hinted that she may back Mr Macron.

He has also attracted the support of prominent Right-wingers such as Alain Minc, who was a close advisor to the former conservative president, Nicolas Sarkozy.